Search

Edwin Maysonet had not donned a big league uniform since 2009 with the Houston Astros. Edwin Maysonet broke camp and was left off the Brewers’ 40-man roster. Edwin Maysonet was 30-years-old and had been hitting .214/.309/.286 for Triple-A Nashville, in the extremely hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Yet, on Saturday afternoon against the division-rival Chicago Cubs, Edwin Maysonet etched his name into Brewers lore, even if just for a brief moment.

The native of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico connected on a grand slam off right-hander Chris Volstad, a pitch that ultimately put the contest out of reach and secured the Brewers’ first series victory since taking two out of three against the Houston Astros on April 23-25. The raucous crowd at Miller Park swelled to a roar until Maysonet re-emerged from the dugout for a curtain call, undoubtedly one of the highlights for his 10-year professional career.

A grand slam naturally receives heightened amounts of attention. In Milwaukee, however, they have become increasingly rare. Prior to Saturday, the Brewers had not hit a grand slam since Shaun Marcum did so against the Diamondbacks’ Daniel Hudson on July 4, 2011.

If that grand slam from Marcum was categorized as unexpected, Maysonet’s grand slam on Saturday would assuredly be listed under the same category. The shortstop had only hit seven home runs in his previous 1,187 plate appearances since the beginning of the 2009 season. He simply does not have much power. His swing has little leverage, and he does not generate too much backspin when connecting with the baseball.

Maysonet does, however, have one specific spot in which he can generate power.

Edwin Maysonet: ISO Heat Map 2009-2012

Edwin Maysonet: HR vs. Volstad (05/12/12)

As you can clearly determine, Chris Volstad made a mistake in almost the middle of Maysonet’s “hot zone” at the plate, and the 30-year-old shortstop did not miss. He launched a no-doubter into the left field bleachers and put the Brewers ahead of the Cubs on Saturday afternoon for good.

His performance on Saturday — a single, a grand slam, and a walk — should obviously not be considered the norm as the season progresses. We know what he is at this point in his 10-year professional career. He owns a career .257/.322/.371 slash line in the minors. The glovework should remain solid at both shortstop and second base, which helps provide Roenicke some flexibility within the roster, but it does not profile well enough to counteract the .285 wOBA that ZiPS projects for the remainder of the 2012 season.

Though, it must be mentioned, that Cesar Izturis only projects to post a .256 wOBA, so Maysonet may be a better option for the organization than Izturis going forward.

Still, for one day, Edwin Maysonet was a star. He received the Ryan Braun treatment from the fanbase. He held his helmet up high at the top of the dugout steps and looked around at over 40,000 fans screaming in approval.

All of that was not due to Volstad missing with a fastball in a spot that directly coincided with Maysonet’s power zone. All of that was, in fact, due to the fact that Edwin Maysonet did not miss the mistake. He connected with it. He demolished it.